need help before my head explodes :-)

[NockOn]

Just entering the electrical phase of my garage build. been reading some of the posts on lighting and just can't get my head wrapped around all of it. My garage 24x24 9 foot ceiling and 16 foot overhead door. Walls and ceiling will be sheetrock ceiling painted white and walls very light grey. Don't plan on doing much car work except for maybe the odd oil change and tire change with the seasons. I'll have a workbench on the back wall to thinker and do small woodworking projects.

What's a simple light design with part numbers for the lights and bulbs. I like LEDs and I'm in Canada and on a budget

Thanks

 

[kolky]

Check out Primelights. They will provide you with a free layout. The layout will be based on their lights but should give you an idea. They are more expensive than a lot of other lights but they are also higher lumen so you should need fewer of them.

 

[cybrdyke]

Get 6 to 9 4' LED fixtures that are around 5000 lumens each and 5000K in color. Choose whatever style you like the best. 6 will be average amounts of light. 9 will be very bright. Space them in rows of three lengthwise front to back. If you get 6, two rows spaced evenly between the center and about a foot off each wall. If you get 9, One row down the center, one row on each side evenly spaced between wall and center.
Base model would be an empty (no-ballast) fixture with 2 LED tubes. Upgraded versions can be LED strip lights or surface wraps. All that lingo is google-able.
Also get an extra one for over your workbench.
Good luck,
C

 

[pr3dict]

I have a 27'x24'x10'ceilings with a 16 foot 8ft door as well. I haven't installed all the lights yet (just one to get electrical inspection done) and will be using it mostly for a woodshop and some car stuff here and there.

I went with 8x https://www.prolighting.com/rs-4846u-50.html based on a layout that prolighting made. They also give a garagejournal discount. I probably went overkill but they originally spec'd 9. I think it's projected to be at like 65 footcandles or something.

Also throwing them on a +10v dimmer because I'm sure it will be too bright.

 

[Stuart in MN]

Be sure to check the sticky notes at the top of this section, on light fixtures and lighting layouts. There's a lot of good information there.

 

[chinboys]

plan for hardwiring or electrical outlet installing for the bare minimum as well as the optimum lighting before the ceiling sheetrock goes in.
The extra wiring, outlets, and switches (two or three way) are cheap to have in place.

Costco sells 4 foot LED tubes and fixtures for cheap or when on sale.
You can also string up to 4 of them in series.

The 9 foot height does mean you need to space the lights much closer to get optimum max lighting.

 

[Noltz]

Chinboys is right! Run extra outlets in the ceiling so you can add lights later. You want to be able to light the perimeter of each vehicle, and have lighting above your workspace. It can be on one circuit. Remember that your garage door isn't tied to the overhead lights unless you make it that way so consider where the switches or motion switches are.

 

[theoldwizard1]

First, find who sells the CHEAPEST double "bulb" 4' LED, open, "shop lights". In the US, you can occasionally find them for about $20. Usually these come with a 120V pigtail power cord on on end and an outlet on the other so they can be daisy chained. Most also come with a pull chain on/off switch.

If you really are only going to use most of the garage as storage, 2 row of 4 double "bulb" fixtures is adequate. Run them lengthwise about 4' off the wall.

Do not "crowd" the back wall. Maybe stay 8' back. You will want to run another row, maybe with 5 fixtures, above that work area.

Put an octagon ceiling box with duplex adapter plate at each end of each string so that it can be plugged in. Put each bank on a separate switch.

LEDs use very little power, but the individual pull chain, give you the ability to turn each one on/off.

 

[Mike Folks]

For workbench use, a lamp with a base, that will take a 100 watt bulb will be needed for good lighting, maybe a light, with a 5 Diopter magnifying lens?

 

[SARG]

I found these Bbounder LEDs on Amazon about a year ago. So far I've put up eighteen in two workshops ( garages ). They come in various package numbers and they float a coupon between the 4 or 6 or 8 or 10 unit offerings. Got mine for under $12. each.
They are 250W equivalent and are the nuts in cold weather.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TM97LWY/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[NockOn]

Be sure to check the sticky notes at the top of this section, on light fixtures and lighting layouts. There's a lot of good information there.

Yeah that's what gave me a headache to start with LOL

Way too much info all at once.

 

[joe--h]

Bought these

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RKZFD5Z/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Probably more light than you need, they are bright.
Joe H

 

[cdsloy]

Joe--h, What size is your shop and how high are your ceilings? I am having a 30x50 shop built as we speak it has 9ft walls with just a little pitch. I will be working on cars and race stuff so I want it bright.

 

[tfi racing]

Cheap and simple? Grab 4 used 2 lamp 4' fixtures, as long as they are not rusty you will be fine, should be able to get them for almost free if you are clever. Toss out the ballasts, grab 8 ballast bypass LED lamps off Amazon and wire them up. If that is too much effort, head over to your favourite big box store and buy 4 brand new LED fixtures at about the $75 range, more than enough light for a parking/storage shed.Grab some portable corded or battery powered LED devices will fill in enough additional light for the rare occasion you need to actually do something. Lot's of good tips here, but many of our southern friends like to overkill a simple garage with fixtures that aren't readily available in Canada, not always CSA/cUL approved and too expensive once shipping and exchange rate is factored in.

 

[dcg9381]

Agree, this is simple - put outlets on the ceilings. More than you need. That solves it... LED lighting has come a long way.

 

[Jayman17]

Cheap and simple? Grab 4 used 2 lamp 4' fixtures, as long as they are not rusty you will be fine, should be able to get them for almost free if you are clever. Toss out the ballasts, grab 8 ballast bypass LED lamps off Amazon and wire them up. If that is too much effort, head over to your favourite big box store and buy 4 brand new LED fixtures at about the $75 range, more than enough light for a parking/storage shed.Grab some portable corded or battery powered LED devices will fill in enough additional light for the rare occasion you need to actually do something. Lot's of good tips here, but many of our southern friends like to overkill a simple garage with fixtures that aren't readily available in Canada, not always CSA/cUL approved and too expensive once shipping and exchange rate is factored in.

This is exactly what I did in my 20' x 13' one car garage with 8.5' ceiling. I got 6 T8 2 bulb fluorescent fixtures off CL. Four of them were free and I paid $10 for the other two.
I removed the ballast and decided to wire as a plug in fixture instead of hard wire.
I purchased the bulbs mentioned in the sticky, they were 5000K and around 2100 lumens each IIRC.
Removed my old 8' T12 fixture and wired a run of 3 outlets down the center of my garage. Then installed 2 rows of 3 fixtures lengthwise.
Can't believe the difference it's like daylight in there now, much more conducive to doing work in there now. Very happy with the results.

Jay

 

[Norcal]

The one disadvantage to plug-in lighting is that then GFCI requirements kick in as there is no exception in shops/garages/outbuildings to the requirements because they are lights. Hard wired does not require GFCI protection.

 

[Tduby]

For that size and use I would put a grid of round boxes and bare bulb fixtures cheap maybe a little more work but if you break a bulb you are out $2? And you are pretty well future proofed for what ever light style comes out next

 

[glend123]

here is how I bought my garage.... 26x28 with regular led lightbulbs.
More than bright enough for my 54 year old eyes. I did put up a 4 ft led shop light right above my bench.